August 2026 Newsletter
CALENDAR of EVENTS
AUGUST GROUP MAKE-UP LESSON
SATURDAY August 15th 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Please email: admin@denverama.org to reserve your spot. Please let her know if you want to use a banked lesson.
END OF SUMMER PARTY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22ND
Time: 5-6:30 PM
Meet at Ash Grove Park
1701 S Holly St, Denver, CO, 80222
Please RSVP by August 20th
LABOR DAY WEEKEND - CLOSED
DAMA will be closed Friday, Saturday, and Monday. September 4th, 5th & 7th
August Raffle
Winners
Best Wishes and Farewell Mr. Scott!
It is with a heavy heart that we must say good-bye to Mr. Scott Askew. Scott joined DAMA in August 2024 as a guitar, piano, voice and drums instructor. We are so grateful and humbled that he chose to share his knowledge and talents with our DAMA students these last two years. We wish him all the best as he relocates and starts the next chapter on his journey. We will miss you Scott!!
Scott, would like to share a message to his students and their families:
DAMA families,
I wanted to write a short note to express a deep thank you. These past two years have been some of my favorite years as a music teacher. I thank you for the trust you've placed in me, and for the work the students have put in. I'd like to thank each individual student, but that list would likely take up the whole newsletter. Seeing a student take steps towards becoming the musician they want to be, and succeeding at it, is one of my greatest joys in life. Now it's time to focus on another of my great joys in life, which is being a Dad. Being away from my daughter has been difficult, but to her credit, she knows that my time here was a necessary thing. It is difficult to move on, because I've worked hard at building something positive in Denver, and feel like I've done that. The relationships we've built reflect that. So thank you again. I'd welcome updates, good news, and song recommendations as time goes on. Feel free to say hello at scott.askew70@gmail.com or you can find me at www.youtube.com/scottaskewtube. Play on.
-Scott
End of Summer Party!
Ash Grove Park:
1701 S Holly St, Denver, CO 80222
Saturday August 22nd
5pm-6:30pm
This year we are going to try something different. We are going to meet a nearby park for fun games like kickball, soccer, badminton, frisbee and there's a jungle gym, basketball courts and trails.
Ash Grove park is only a mile away from DAMA. Pizza and drinks will be provided and parents may drop off kids if they don't want to stay and participate.
Come celebrate the end of summer, bring your scooters or bikes and enjoy getting to know fellow musicians.
RSVP by August 20th
August Birthdays
Eloise M. 2nd
Bennett L. 5th
Lila H. 8th
Lucas H. 23rd
Grant F. 24th
July 2026 DAMA PRACTICE DERBY RESULTS
1st Place = Linh Dan N. (59 tickets)
2nd Place = Chloe M. (27 tickets)
3rd Place = Brendan K. / Morgan F. (25 ticket tie)
WAY TO GO!
From Ms. Michele's Bench
Over the past month, I've been dealing with what I believe is a pinched nerve in my back that sends pain all the way down my arm. It has been one of the most physically challenging months I've experienced in a long time. I wasn't able to teach for nine days, and although I'm back in the studio now, the pain hasn't really changed. I knew I somehow had to figure out how to endure it while continuing my responsibilities.
During each lesson, I was very aware of the pain. But once I became absorbed in helping a student solve a problem, celebrate a success, or discover something new, my focus shifted. The pain didn't disappear, and I certainly wasn't ignoring it, but by becoming fully engaged with each student, I was able to keep it from taking over my thoughts.
It reminded me of something musicians experience all the time.
Many students struggle with intrusive, fearful thoughts while they perform. Instead of listening to the music, they're thinking, Don't miss this note. What if I mess up? Everyone is watching me. If we allow those thoughts to take over, it becomes much harder to play naturally.
When pain is intense enough, it demands our attention. Our brains are wired to focus on it because they're trying to protect us. Performance anxiety works much the same way. Fearful thoughts can feel just as urgent, convincing us they deserve our full attention. The challenge isn't making the pain or the fear disappear. It's learning to acknowledge them without letting them take over, then intentionally redirecting our focus to the task at hand.
The good news is that our minds have a limited capacity for conscious attention. We can't give our full focus to the music and our fears at the same time. If our minds are consumed by fear and worried thoughts, those thoughts crowd out the very thing that helps us perform well. But
when we intentionally direct our focus to something helpful, such as the sound we're creating, the phrase we're shaping, or the emotion we're communicating, we become immersed in the task rather than the worry. That's when we begin to enter what psychologists call a "flow state."
I've discovered that this principle extends far beyond music. Whether we're preparing for a recital, taking a test, giving a presentation, or facing a difficult situation in life, distractions will always compete for our attention. We can't always change our circumstances, but we can choose what deserves our attention.
As parents, we have an opportunity to help our children develop this skill. Whether they're practicing for a recital, taking a test, playing in a championship game, or facing another challenge, we can remind them that they don't have to eliminate their fear to succeed. Instead, they can acknowledge those thoughts and gently redirect their focus to the task in front of them. That's a skill that will serve them long after the performance is over.
As I reflected on my experience this month, I realized my pain had given me the opportunity to practice exactly what we encourage our students to do while performing. I couldn't make the pain disappear any more than a performer can instantly eliminate fear. When the pain tries to distract me from doing my best, I intentionally redirect my focus, moment by moment, so my students receive my full attention.
In many ways, that's what performing is all about. Mental toughness isn't the absence of fear or discomfort. It's the ability to keep directing your attention to what matters most.
If there's a bright side to this experience, it's that it reminded me this isn't just a lesson for musicians. It's a life lesson for all of us.
See you at the End of Summer Party!
Best,
